Kinnear New Venture Competition: 2024 Winners Announced

Kingston, Ont. – Smith’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Innovation & Social Impact (CEISI) has awarded a total of $10,000 to new ventures as part of its annual Paul & Tom Kinnear New Venture Competition.

Two teams successfully pitched their businesses to a panel of judges earlier this month, securing funding for their ventures’ ongoing operations.

Chris Rambihar, MBA’25, and Thomas Toulgoet, Comm’28, were awarded $7,500 for their business Evermore, which aims to help extend the life of pet owners' beloved canine companions. The company’s natural treats infused with a proprietary formula target common aging issues, including cognitive decline, joint discomfort and digestive issues. 

“This funding will support our goal of revolutionizing pet wellness and enhancing the lives of our beloved animals. We aim to begin production of our proprietary longevity treats in the near future,” says Rambihar. “Evermore is just getting started, with many more milestones to come.”

Marcus Wright-Smith, Comm’25; Azeem Khan, Comp’25; and Jasmine Wu, Artsci’25, also impressed the judges, earning $2,500 for their venture, Monarch Informatics. Monarch’s data analytics platform provides hospital laboratories with real-time insights on laboratory operational metrics to improve efficiency. The team also includes Theo Lemay, BSc(Eng)’25; Prameet Sheth, director of microbiology at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC); Henry Wong, molecular biologist at KHSC; and Calvin Sjaarda, bioinformatician at KHSC.

“The award from the Kinnear New Venture competition couldn’t have come at a better time. Monarch is preparing to launch the pilot program to test its product, LOLA, in a number of hospitals in Ontario. This funding will allow Monarch to build out further security and authentication for LOLA’s users, which needs completion before the pilot can begin,” explains Wright-Smith.

Since its creation in 2008, the Paul & Tom Kinnear New Venture Competition has supported 21 Smith undergraduates and their entrepreneurial ventures with funding that is often critical in the early stages of business and increases the odds of success. 

“At CEISI, we take pride in fostering the growth of emerging entrepreneurs through initiatives such as the Paul & Tom Kinnear New Venture Competition," says Simon VanAsseldonk, Program Coordinator, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Social Impact. "The teams behind Evermore and Monarch Informatics are doing impactful work, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds.”